Gantry crane



' June 29 1926'.

Filed July, s, 1924 2 sheets-sheet 2' alla@ Patented June 29,1926. Y vUNITY-ED@ STAT y CLAUDE. FULLER, or new yrean, rg., Assrenon'r'ofnnwYonK Bannifiraiviar.;ti\ievr CORPORATION, or` NEW Yon1;,v1\r.j.,gaconrona'rron oF vNEW-'roma Y thepurpose of'moving such crane along theGANTRYCRANJEQ* H ApplicationY v'filed lJ i113): 8',

My fpresent linvention relates tolcran'es,

Y Wheels on which the crane is supported for lrackswv'ith which itisvassociated.. This meth'odof construction renders the cost of a crane ofthis type so', high as'to preclude its.

f Ause in situations yto f which it is 'admirably adapted:vv @ne 'ofsuch ysituations 'is in'ooniiection with the unloading vofybriclr'sffroinv barges Where the char'acte-r'of the material 'Y is suchas to prohibit, from af mechanicaldriving mechanism for gant-ry cranesand in which such driving mechanismv no 'connec-Y tion Whatever yisVmade toi-the Wheels'fsupvlporting the crane. y so'const'ruct my deviceand wound -fa plurality of ropes or cables,. such ropes or cablesbeingAajnchored'atone` as to have the4 crane driven in eitherl direc tionfrom asingle drum on Wlnchis-secured end' ofthe track and the otherc'able'being anchored at theother :end of the track.` By rotating suchlcrane through al Worin'gear operated byv anelectric motor, the rotating;

ofthe drum is yprevented except yby means of the motor and the cablesextendingtd Y Y Y 82 in each lofyvhieh frames is rotatably Vmounted apluralityof flanged'wheels `33 eithery end ofthe track act as brakes orlocking devices 'forV the gantry, `"sihich vis lthus locked inpositionagainst Wind pressure or any other outside cause.

. The object of-my `invention, therefore, is an improved propellingmechanism forV gantry cranes and the like.'Vv

In theaCGOmpanying drawings illustrat-` ing a preferred embodiment ofmyinven-` Ltion, Y

Fig. l is an end elevation; y Fig.' 2 is a frontV elevation, and y yFig. 3 is a fragmentary detail plan view of the driving mechanism.'v l

l Referring to the drawings, 101 dock or `wharf on'the top of which are'are *ranged tracks ll running parallell to, and spaced apart from, eachother any suitable or desired distance. The tracks 11V are of anyconvenient or desired length, as is usual.

secured* a lblock '371, but; one of lwhich is l, shown, in order toprevent overrun.' ofthe designates a y 1921i-,I serial m5724382.' l

suchp'ositionby crossbra'ces 14, l5,v and 16 Aspaced apart fromeachother andV held in" and strengthened; by the lusual braces17e-41,8.;l

described' arer` utilized,'.and extendingv be-A tweenv the frame'structures `on each side2 thereof arebridgefgirders 19fand a-bridge 20,.the entirev structure thus far' described Two such framestructuresashave justV been l constituting ,a'bridgerfor'thecrane' vFormed4integralwith the bridge and extending lat` orally outward "therefromf isa j ib member 21, formedin. the usual manner. v'The jib member 16.`lVfount-edito run 'on'the rails '22'. i

"frame members havesecured toV the top sides are Wheels 23 supportingfaframe 21lonf Whichis mounted' av hoisting gdevice 25, land attheUloWer'endofthe cables'26 of such crane YmemberV is a' devicey 27'? forlifting la unit stack of fbrick 28 from `:the yload, 'of

V)briclrs 29"onfthebarge30 vlying along side off, va.nd'secured,.to,thevvharf10i`r` The crane mechanisml 25 isfoperated "thfej'usual vInan-Y ner, `and f as the'construction of suclr operating mechanism Vforms nopartoffthegpres'ent invention, 'it has l not fbeenl illustrated y. and

Will not beffurther described.vrr yOnthe out-l f Y Ward endiof eachfofthe *jib niembersf21 is carriage 24.

ofthe bridgel has secured thereto a frame which run on the rails l1.lFrom the above it- Will be yobvious that the structure 4is capable ofmoving along'thefrails ll so as to bring the hoisting mechanism '-25into any.V

position relative to the leadfof bricks 29,011",` the barge 30.V.In'orderf to move theystrucf lying4 practically centralfwith respect`to thev ilprights 12 and'1342-7111'theiframework is arranged shaftsv'36, v37, and 3811 On'lthe ture along the rails 1,1, I provide aplatform f of framework'll lsecuredfto, orisuspended Y from,` the crossLbracesd? fin* any Vsuitable manner, as bybrafce, such frame structureand is driven' by, a; pinionel" secured tothel Y shaft 37 Alsosecured*tothe shaft 137jis ay gear 42 which meshes with', and is drivenby, a pinion 43 secured to the shaft 38, Also secured to the sha-ft 38isa worm wheel 44 which meshes with, and is driven by, a worm 45 securedto, `or termed integral with, the

shaft 46 of -a-n Jelectric motor 47. The gearing 40-46 inclusive forms areduction gear to wind pressure thereon or y troin otherV CHUSGS.

VVOund around the drum 39 and occupyingV but portion of the lengthot'such drum is a cable 48, onelend 'of which isanchoredfat 49k at oneend of the tracks ll and thegother end is anchoredcat 50 to vthe otherYend of such tracks vl1. It is obvious from the above and from aninspection ofV the drawings that,

, if the gear 40 is rotated' so .as lto rotate the drum 39pm anydirection, the rotation of 'i such drum will pay oil one end olf' lthecable 48 andwind onthe other end of suchA cable. Near leach end 'of 'therope at the anchoring points 49 and :50 .are turnbuckles 5l and by meansof whichgslack in the rope or cable 48 maybe taken up., l Y A y It isobvious now that, it the drumk .39 is rotated either direction, acertain amount of one'end'ot the cable 48 is wound upon the Vdrum 39yand an equal amount'o't 'the Yother' end `is unwound.

y y 'Should'th'e rope or cable stretch, the .turnbuckles 5l ywill takeup 1 all ,slack therein. Y

The operation of my iinproveddevice is as follows. -The gantry cranevconstructed as above described and mounted for movement over the tracksll is controlled in such Vmovement by an operator whooperates theAcontrol properly Ioperating the motor. 4??, ithe'druni Vmotor 47 in theusual manner. .The power circuit and control apparatus for' such motoris not shown as such form ot connection and is well known in rthe art.By

39 is rotated through the train of gearing A-'4-6 inclusive to wind upone end of the cable 48 on one end of Vthe drum and unwind an equalamount of cable on the other end of the drum, causingrthe gantry cranestructure `to be moved longitudinally 'ofthe tracks 11. Because or" thereduction gearing 40-46 VVand the worm and worm 'wheel 45 and 44respectively, the device for moving the crane along the tracks acts :asa braceor brake to prevent accidental movement ot tlgieicrane.

Having thus described 4my invention, vwhat I claim as new is:

bridge, tracks on which t'he wheels are placed for longitudinal movementthereon, Va cable,

anchoring means for said cable whereby the cable is anchored, one end'at ea'chen'd ot' the track, a drum rotatably mounted on the bridge-andindependent ot the wheel mounting, a driving motor, a reduction gearinginterposed `between the motor and the drum, said drum having theintermediate portion of the cable wound thereon and whereby rotation otthe drum in either direction will cause a winding up of one end of thecable thereon and a simultaneous paying'oiif of an equal .length of vtheother end ot the cable therefrom, saidV reduction gearing, drum, andcable acting as a braking device toV prevent accidental longitudinalmovement 'of .the bridge on the rails. v Y

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specic'ation.

omino E. FULLER,

